


Bubblegum Heartbeats

by marzimarsimars



Category: Diabolik Lovers
Genre: Comedy, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fun, Jealousy, Kind of Crack???, Modern AU, Romance, Sweet Ending, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, not as dark as usual, vampire hunter/vampire - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-26 11:52:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19005244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marzimarsimars/pseuds/marzimarsimars
Summary: When her younger sister wins a sweepstakes to meet Kou Mukami, [Name], a closet Mukami fan, is left behind in the dust.





	1. Chapter 1

****Her voice rang out so clearly against the quiet of night. It practically shook the entire houseーwhile [Name] was situated downstairs, playing cards with her father, a curt shriek had suddenly sounded from the room above them.

Of course, as trained Vampire Hunters, both [Name] and her father sprung into action without any sort of hesitation. They darted up the stairs and turned into the bedroom of [Name]'s younger sister, Mariko, who was seated at her desk, a hand pressed tightly against her mouth.

"Mariko?! What happened?!" Their father asked worriedly, his eyes scanning the room. The windows were shut, the shades closed, and there was no one inside besides his youngest daughter. That was one reliefーthere were no vampires in the vicinity.

Still, Mariko was very stricken up. She could barely muster out the strength to move, much less respond.

"Mariko..?" Their father knelt down to her level, resting a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

[Name] watched with uncertainty, unsure what was happening. She decided to check around her sister's room in case there  _was_  a vampire hiding around somewhere. It wouldn't be unreasonable to think that one could hide their scent from them.

Mariko was a very avid fan of the idol Kou Mukami, and had the merchandise to prove it. [Name] prodded around her sister's rather extensive collection of Mukami stuff, and peeked into the closet, while their father tried to get some sort of response out of his youngest daughter.

It was only when [Name] finished ploughing through her sister's room, without finding a single vampire, that Mariko spoke, in a voice that was meek and quiet and a tad bit embarrassed.

"...I.. won," she whispered. Their father quirked a brow, before moving a bit closer to her so that he could hear.

"You won..? Won what?"

Mariko pointed a shaky finger at her laptop screen, which was sitting on the desk in front of her. [Name] also leered over, just to see what exactly had caused her thirteen-year-old sister to scream out so thunderously. And then she froze.

_"Congratulations, Mariko!"_ Read the email that was currently opened on the screen.  _"You've won the **Trip to Meet**   **Kou Mukami** in our 2018 Celebrity Meet & Greet Sweepstakes!" _It then listed the steps required to take to claim the prize.

"...The hell..?" [Name] whispered to herself. Their father was alarmed. Of course, their entire family knew of Mariko's obsession with Kou Mukamiーas if her room wasn't evidence enoughーbut no one was aware that she entered a sweepstakes for a chance to meet him. And she _won!_

"...Is this a scam?" Their father asked.

"No, no, Kou-san advertised this on his Instagram," Mariko insisted. "It's 100% real."

"...And this made you scream that hard?" [Name] raised a brow. Mariko sent her sister an offended glare.

"Shut up! You wouldn't understand.... But, oh my  _God,_  I can't believe it.. Can I go, Dad?!"

Their father looked between Mariko and [Name], and thought to himself, and then sighed.

"What did you even win?"

Mariko spurred into action, and typed in the website for the sweepstakesーwhich explained that a select few would get a chance to spend the day with Kou Mukami at a theme park. It also stated that airfare and hotel fees would all be included.

"...Is it in Japan?" Their father asked, squinting at the screen.

"Yeah, so don't worryーit's only like two hours away from Kaminashi Town."

"Two hours away from here... Mm..." Their father continued to read all of the details on the website, before he looked to [Name]. "How old is this kid anyway? In his twenties?"

"No, he's seventeen," Mariko grinned, and then showed him a picture of the popstar in question. [Name] crossed her arms, shifting all her weight to one leg. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't slightly jealous.

As a Vampire Hunter, she strongly believed that she had to focus solely on her job and could not fall into silly idol obsessions like Mariko. Even so, as her sister, she was forced to listen to some of Mukami's songs, and had to admit they were pretty catchy.

...Though, that was weeks ago. Thinking they were just 'catchy' quickly turned into 'listening to them any chance she got' and eventually her opinion of Kou became 'this guy is the greatest, most fantabulous, amazing, beautiful, incredible musician of our time.' Only  _slightly_ exaggerating.

But long story short, for weeks now [Name] had been hiding an obsession with the blonde popstar, and really did adore him. ...But she wasn't allowed to be jealous. Right? This was her sister's love. She had to focus on being a Vampire Hunter, because that was all she ever knew.

As the eldest in a Hunter's family, she had an obligation to take after the family line. Mariko had more freedom in the matterーbut it would be a disgrace if [Name] did not carry out her family's wishes. And besides, it wasn't like she minded. She truly did feel like being a Hunter was what she was meant to do.

"...I really don't think this is a good idea, though," their father sighed. "I mean.. his other fans are probably a lot older than you."

Mariko swept up in a desperate attempt to save her chances. "I need an adult to go with me, anyways! So either you or Neechan will be with me. But I don't think Neechan would wanna go, I mean, she doesn't even like him..."

[Name] bit her lip. "I-I don't mind going," she sputtered out, trying to keep herself cool and collected. This might have taken a turn! She could barely contain her own excitement. Who would have thought _she'd_  get to meet Kou Mukami too?

" _Really?_ " Both Mariko and their father said at the same time.

"Well, even if she's willing to..." Their father hummed, then turned back to his youngest daughter. "Wait, Mariko, when is this?"

"Um... Next week."

"Next  _week?!_ "

"Sorry, I didn't check my email until today!" Mariko protested, raising her hands in defense. Their father looked around anxiously, before pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

"Honey, I don't thinkー" He stopped, and sighed. "I scheduled your sister for her first long-term Hunting job... next week." [Name]'s eyes flashed open at that. "I guess, I'll have to go with you, then..."

He knew very well how much this meant to Mariko, and that this was a chance in a lifetime for herーand truthfully, he didn't want to keep it from her. And so while he might have been a busy Hunter himself, he supposed he could spare one day next week to let his daughter meet her celebrity crush.

"You mean it?!" Mariko shouted, and jumped up to swing her arms around her father. He laughed as he stroked her hair, and kissed the top of her head, while [Name] was kind of left to the side.

...A long-term Hunting job. She wasn't even sure what that meant. She coughed awkwardly before her father looked up at her, smiling warmly.

"I'll give you more details about that job tonight," he said, and then gave Mariko a serious expression. "And  _you_ , the next time you get excited about something, don't scream bloody murder like that. I thought there was a vampire!"

"Hehe~ sorry..." she grinned, and then sat back down at her desk.

"[Name], I'll just confirm everything with this contest thing," their father said to his eldest daughter. "And if you wanna head downstairsーmaybe clean up the table? I'll bring out the documents I have regarding that job."

[Name] feigned a smile. "On it!" she promised, before congratulating Mariko. She then sauntered downstairs, thinking hard about what just happened. One moment her sister was going to meet Kou Mukami, the next moment  _she_ was going as well, and now she lost all chances of it, all because of something she didn't even confer in herself.

"He's just a celebrity," she tried to convince herself. "No big deal."

It would be immature to get jealous over something like this. It was just a day-long meet and greet, at a theme park, with the one celebrity that managed to crack down [Name]'s strictly Hunter-based walls. No reason at all to feel jealous. Right?  _Right?_

_...Fuck, I'm jealous._


	2. Chapter 2

[Name] placed her hand at the base of her crossbody purse, and pulled at the cuffs of her jacket sleeves. She carefully sidestepped the passersby from all around her, keeping her eyes glued to the buildings in this plaza.

_"We received a complaint from a local cutlery store," her father had told her. "Apparently a vampire keeps coming in just to stare at the knives, murmuring to himself. He never tries anything, and he won't talk to anyone, but he makes the other customers uncomfortable."_

She quickly crossed the street, passing by a group of younger teenagers. They were chatting amongst themselves about usual things—what to have for lunch, the latest gossip about so-and-so's love life—but she momentarily slowed as she met the gaze of one of them.

He was a stalky young man, taller than her, and just by sensing him alone [Name] could tell he was a Hunter. He wasn't a familiar face, but as they passed each other, he nodded at her.

_"Why can't they just kick him out?" [Name] asked. Her father wore a much different face than he had when he was with Mariko. For now, he was solemn, not a single muscle relaxed in his tight face._

"Good luck," the boy muttered. His voice was quiet, far too quiet for her to even hear his first word, but she was able to read his lips anyway. Now, these two might not have been acquainted, but it wasn't unusual for passing Hunters to wish each other luck when one was coming to work—and it was obvious that [Name] was.

She had a spell cast on her bag to hide its smell from vampires, for otherwise they would be able to sense the tiny arsenal of anti-vampire bullets and potions she kept in there. To fellow Hunters, however, that masking smell was loud and energizing. It signified an upcoming mission.

 _"...They have. He keeps coming in regardless. They said they don't even see him use the door_ ー _and whenever the cops come to take him away, he just disappears right from their car."_

_"...The hell?"_

"Who was that?" One of the girls in that boy's group asked, as [Name] rushed on by them. The male Hunter gave the girl a small peck on the lips.

"Just a friend," he said. His girlfriend accepted it without further questioning. [Name] continued to scour through the buildings for the cutlery store, realizing it probably would have been a better idea to google the address before she ventured out here.  _Ah well_ , she thought.  _I'll find it eventually._

_"So what am I supposed to do?" [Name] asked._

_"We're having you work part-time at the cutlery store. Observe the vampire, figure out what he wants. If he attacks anyone, you'll be there to stop it."_

Finally, she spotted the shop at the corner of the plaza, and picked up her pace as she walked towards it. By now, she imagined her father and sister were approaching the meeting spot for that sweepstakesーas they had left quite a while before she did.

 _"And why can't the employees just do this themselves? They_ do _own a store full of knives and shit."_

 _"[Name], most people are afraid of vampires. Besides_ ー _you're good at talking to people. I feel like you'd be a great fit for this, since you can trick the vampire into trusting you."_

_"...Trick him, huh?"_

When [Name] stepped inside, she realized this shop was more of a fancy-looking kitchen supply than a mere cutlery. The items displayed in the windows were actually pretty cute. There were aprons with patterns ranging from floral to fruit to vibrant ginghams, and whisks and spoons that looked more decorative than useful, if she had to be honest.

She moved toward the cash register, as she was told to meet with her supervisor there. The woman standing there was short and middle-aged, whose hands were clasped at her waist. She glanced up upon seeing [Name] approach.

"Ah..." she started. "Are you Miss [Surname]?"

There were prominent rings beneath the woman's eyes, and her voice rasped as she spoke. The younger girl nodded warmly. She was a rather seasoned actress, and acting gracious was one of her best fronts. She decided she'd put that to use now.

"I am, nice to meet you!" she smiled, gazing at the woman's name tag. "Saito-san, is it?"

"Oh, good..." The store's owner sighed in relief, ignoring her question. "That vampire boy hasn't come in yet, but I'm sure he'll be here soon... In the meantime, I'll get you started here." Saito led [Name] to the back of the store, where she provided her with her own name tag. [Name] thanked her, before affixing it to her blouse. She then bit her lip.

"Oh, um, ma'am... I have to warn you, I don't know much about cutlery or anything... and I'm still unfamiliar with the shop's layoー"

"I know," Saito interrupted, voice quiet and breathy. "You'll just be staying around the knife department. I won't tell you how to do your job, but just do whatever you can to get that  _thing_ out of my store for good."

[Name] nodded, a resolute expression on her face. "I'll do my best."

"The knife department's over there. There aren't any chairs, so just make yourself look busy."

"Got it."

Saito left her alone after that, and retreated to the back of the store without another word. [Name] was a bit put off by how fast this had gone. She expected someone to show her the ropes or something, but it seemed that she just had to figure out things on her own. ...It was somewhat concerning, but this was what it meant to be a Hunter, she supposed.

After all, it wasn't like she was actually working here. She was just there to observe.

But for the first twenty minutes, not a single person came by the knife department. No signs of the vampire in question, nor even a regular customer. It might have just been her, but she felt like people were deliberately avoiding this section of the shop.

...Really, it was pretty boring just aimlessly tending to the wall of sharp kitchenware. [Name] eventually pulled out her phone, just to check the time, but noticed that her father had left her a text from two minutes ago.

It was a selfie of Mariko and Kou.

Their cheeks were squished together as they both smiled for the camera, Mariko holding up a V sign while Kou flashed his infamous toothy grin. Her father quickly followed up with some comments.

**_Look how happy she is!! #OTP #SOKAWAII #MARIKOU_ **

That caused [Name] to cringeーbut not even she could suppress a small smile at that. He then sent her more pictures of the two together, and also a group photo of the other sweepstakes winners.

Mariko was undoubtedly the youngest one there, but there was another girl there who looked around sixteen. [Name]'s father said Mariko was getting along great with that one. Although his oldest daughter was growing a bit desolate by these images, she quickly texted back.

**_Haha, you have fun too, Dad!_ **

**_You fucking bet!! This kid's great!_ **

**_Who would've thought celebrities could be this nice?!_ **

And then he sent a selfie of himself with Kou. Both of them were wearing sunglasses and holding their chins, looking off into the distance like a pair of dorks (and [Name] followed all of Kou's social media, so she knew how weird he was, too.) Mariko stood in the background, laughing her head off by the way her dad was acting around Kou. [Name] sighed to herself.

**_Weirdos >w<_ **

**_Well I gotta go_ **

**_Might get in trouble for using my phone at work haha_ **

She then turned her phone off, and slid it into her pocket. However once she heard her text tone go off once more, she took a small peek at it. She expected an "okay have fun" or something, so was a bit upset to see what he had left for her.

**_Wait hold on_ **

She sighed again. He would probably send another photo of them all, only further rubbing this in. It wasn't his fault, she knew, nor was it Mariko'sーbut she wished they'd take into consideration her own feelings. Here she was babysitting a knife store while they were having fun at a theme park with some teen idol! Still, she answered him anyway.

**_What's wrong?_ **

**_This Mukami kid_ **

**_You know he's a vampire?_ **

[Name] froze. She stared at the screen for a few silent moments, taking in what exactly she was reading.

...Vampire?

**_His bodyguard's been sending me weird looks this whole time_ **

**_All the other contest winners are vampires too_ **

**_I feel out of place (_ ** **｡** **_•́_ ** **︿** **_•̀_ ** **｡** **_)_ **

**_Well, at least Mariko doesn't smell like a Hunter like I do_ **

**_It's 'cause of all that Mukami-brand perfume she uses (_** ** _΄_** ◞ิ **ਊ** ◟ิ‵ ** _)_**

**_..._ **

**_...Hayyy [Name]? You there??_ **

**_Mkay ;-; have fun at work I guess_ **

[Name] read over each of his texts, skimming through them slowly, taking in every word he sent her. This affected her more than she thought. Stemming from a Hunter family, [Name] grew up on the notion that vampires and humans could never be together. Even if her father joked about it, she knew he would never agree to letting either of his daughters date one of those 'beasts.'

And it was true, [Name] herself had a bit of prejudice against them. She was training specifically to  _kill_ them, after all. She closed her eyes. But this was Kou, and he was a  _vampire_...

She scolded herself for being unreasonable. She had no right to be disappointedーit wasn't like she even knew Kou. He was just a popstar whose music she liked... and whose social media she happened to stalk...

.......And her AO3 library might have been filled with reader inserts with him, or yaoi between him and another idol he often dueted with.

 _Stop this_ , she thought. She was a Hunter; she had to save these silly fangirl moments for when she was free of her duties. So with another sigh, she slid her phone into her pocket, and opened her eyes again.

...And met with the eyes of another, of someone standing right in front of her.

"Ahー!" [Name] squeaked, jumping backward. The boy before her looked taken aback.  
  


"I'm... sorry...." he murmured. He folded his hands together. "I didn't... think I'd... scare... you...."  
  


_...When did he get here?!_


	3. Chapter 3

_"Eh...?!"_

[Name]'s {e|c} eyes went wide in surprise. This was a vampire, and she hadn't even sensed him! She stared at his face, her gaze immediately drawn to a cut sliced across the bridge of his nose.

But then she quickly pulled back, and grabbed ahold of herself. Improv was, after all, something she was quite skilled atーso she adopted her best 'new, awkward saleswoman' persona.

"O-oh, no, I was just lost in thought!" [Name] sputtered out. "Don't worry about it! Ack, you see, I'm new here, and I'm just really tired... Hey, do you need help with anything? One of these knives, maybe?"

She motioned towards the store's collection of knives, discreetly gazing over their price tags and brand names.

"They're a bit expensive, but I'm certain they won't let you down. They're very trusty!" ...She only hoped she sounded like she knew what she was talking about.

The boy slowly tilted his head to the side. [Name]'s cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and maybe she  _was_ overdoing itーbut hopefully this vampire didn't catch on.

Then he smiled, too.

And [Name] really had to admit,  _no wonder_  he made everyone so uncomfortable! That smile was so creepy! But she would never say anything aloud.

"..I'm... interested.. in one knife..." the boy murmured.

"Oh, really? Here, I'll help! What's caught your eye?" [Name] widened her smile, and advanced toward him to get a better look at the knife wall. The vampire boy immediately stumbled backward, not at all expecting her to suddenly get so close to him.

This, [Name] noticed, and she felt proud of herself for taking the reins so easily.

But the boy recovered quickly, and didn't say a word when he raised a finger toward one particular knife. It was a small switchblade near the left side of the wall. [Name] swiped it down for him, and took another sly glance at its trademark.  _Christina Knives_ , it read.

"Oh, this Christina?" she started enthusiastically, and lied through her teeth. "I have one of these myself, actually. I use it all the time!" She handed the package to him, looking him straight in the eye.

The boy had wide dishwater blue eyes, with a faint violet hue to them, though they looked a bit dull. [Name] pretended to look deep in thought, like she was trying to recognize him from somewhere; this was all part of her plan, after all. She had to corner him for answers without making herself obvious.

"Say, have I seen you around here before? Yeah, I think I have! During my training here! You've been here an awful lot... Are you waiting for a new shipment of knives to arrive or something?"

[Name] wanted to pat herself on the backーthis was going so easy! 'Long-term' her ass. She imagined she could have this cleared up by tonight.

But the vampire boy didn't answer her question, and continued staring at the packaged knife.

"...Christina..." he murmured to himself. Then he took it from her, staring at the tool inside. "...You.. live on... in here, too, Christina..?"

[Name] kept up her smile, and gave him a half-hearted chuckle, but internally she was very weirded out. He was talking to it now. To a knife. How was she supposed to respond to that?

The boy looked up again, fortunately, saving her the effort of having to advance the conversation herself.

"...Does it.. cut... well...?" he asked.

"Yeah, it does! Trust me, I use mine all the time," she smiled, and then glanced back at the wall. "But if you're unsure, I can point you to something cheaper, since that Christina's pretty expensive."

There was only one knife brand that [Name] recognized up on the wall, since memorizing knife names was not exactly something she did for fun, but she decided she'd just pick the sharpest-looking one for him.

But the vampire boy shook his head.

"...I only want... Christina..."

He then looked up at [Name] again, and somehow when  _he_  was the one to look into her eyes it was incredibly unnerving. She was feeling more and more nervous, but she still smiled brightly. She couldn't let go just yet.

"Well, I'm not judging! The Christina's a great knife. Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?"

A small smile graced the vampire boy's lips, and he suddenly tore open the stiff plastic with his bare hands. [Name]'s eyes flew open. She quickly moved to prevent him from touching the knife, slapping her hands tightly over his. She tried to tug the ruined package away from him, but he held onto it as if his life depended on it.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you can't open that unless you buy it!" she insisted, and pulled it all the way out of his grasp. The boy paused.

He glanced down at his empty hands, and acknowledged the fact that Christina had been taken away from him, and then looked up at [Name] again. She wore a stern look now, but still seemed confident too. He had never before encountered a human who kept their wits for this long around him.

"..." He breathed out slowly, and then grew confident himselfーand snatched the knife away from the torn plastic. [Name] tried to take it back, but he grabbed her wrist this time, and another smile pulled at his lips. He tugged her body towards him.

[Name] was a very clumsy person, which was a horrible trait to have as a Hunter, but this clumsiness came in full effect when she tripped over her own feet. Luckily she managed to catch herself before she collapsed onto the ground (or worse, into the boy's chest), but she didn't think to catch her pockets.

And so her phone slipped out, landing face-up on the floor.

Obviously [Name] cared much more for her own safety than for her phone, and she kept her eyes staring down the vampire. He held onto her wrist still, but he was otherwise wholly unconcerned about her.

Because his eyes were locked on her phone.

[Name] wouldn't know why, and for a minute there was an uncanny silence between them. The boy continued to stare at her phone, and she tried to free her wrist without making any sudden movements. She didn't dare look down at what he was staring at, in fear of a surprise attack or something, and so she waited until he slowly brought his attention back up to her again. He was smiling, eerie like always.

"..Heh..." he chuckled softly.

"Sir, please let go of me. Is something the matter?" [Name] asked, feigning concern. She kicked her phone behind her. "Are you alright?"

"...Yes.." he said. "...But... this knife... Can I test it...?" He had completely moved past whatever that issue with her phone was.

And then he tugged her wrist further toward him. He took the knife and steadied it, not at  _her_ , but at himself; he jutted the handle into [Name]'s hands, and volunteered his own arm for her to batter.

"...Test it.. please..."

[Name] was bewildered.  
  
  


...He wanted her to  _what?_


	4. Chapter 4

Azusa quietly stared at [Name]. She was frozen in place, though her fingers were tight around the knife; but she wouldn't harm him, and he couldn't force her to.

"Sir, I'm not going to hurt you," she insisted, keeping herself assertive. Azusa blinked.

"...You can't do it...?" His voice almost sounded heartbroken.

"I can't," she repeated. She then flicked the switchblade back into its protective encasing, and held it away from Azusa's reach. "If you'd like to buy it, I'll hold this for you at the front." Then she smiled. "Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?"

"..." Azusa kept silent, and drew his eyes back down to [Name]'s phone, which was tucked behind her feet. "...I.. see..." he said.

"Yes?" [Name] tilted her head to the side.

"You... won't hurt me... because you... would rather I... hurt... you." Then he brought his head up, and a small, eerie smile crept along his thin lips. "...Right?"

[Name] clenched the knife tighter.

"I will be forced to take protective measures if you insist on hurting anyone—which includes yourself." She distanced herself from him. But his smile never faded.

"...Really..?" Azusa stepped closer to her, reaching back for the Christina knife. "Then you'll... hurt me... if I hurt... you?"

"No," [Name]'s brows furrowed. She stepped backwards, but Azusa was growing more and more unnerving with every passing second. He would smile at her, he would drag his lazy eyes ever-so-slowly up her face and back down again to the knife; but he wouldn't move, and [Name] had no idea what to expect from him.

Eventually she grew creeped out enough to break away from this conversation. Curving her lips upward, she struck up a faux friendly smile, and bowed her head. She just needed a breather away from him.

"I'll hold this up front for you, 'kay? Come see me if you need anything else!"

...And she knelt down to scoop up her phone, before scurrying away from the vampire boy. He didn't try to pursue her. He stood still, staring at her back, before he turned his gaze back up to the wall of knives. He unhooked another Christina knife from its peg, and smiled down at it.

"...I still have you..." he murmured. "..But that girl... took a part of you... away from me..." Azusa breathed out, a long, drawn-out sort of sigh, before he brought the packaging closer to him. "...I'm happy... you're here... Christina..."

Meanwhile, [Name] had run to a display of spoons and whisks and other kitchen utensils, pretending to rearrange things while truthfully she spied on Azusa. The other customers stayed far away from that knife wall. Even if they weren't familiar with Azusa's odd presence in the store, he gave off vibes that naturally deflected most people.

And [Name] couldn't understand him at all. Why was he here? He wanted to buy a knife, specifically a Christina-brand one, but he was so... weird about it. Most vampires she'd fought before snapped into battle-mode the second someone tried to approach them. Did this vampire have ill intentions or not? She couldn't tell. And why was he so focused on her phone earlier...?

"What did he even see...?" [Name] mumbled to herself, before clicking her phone on. The only things on the screen were more texts from her father, and more pictures of Kou.

 _Maybe he's secretly a Mukami fan_ , [Name] thought jokingly. But she didn't think anything else of it. When she looked back up at the vampire boy, he was still standing, still staring at the knives, still murmuring to himself. This was kind of getting frustrating!

"How's it going...?" a voice whispered from beside [Name]. She turned to see her employer, Saito-san, who still looked painfully tired. [Name] spoke without once taking her eyes off Azusa.

"I think he wants to buy a knife, but... he only wants a Christina. So I tried to help him buy one, then he got all weird... I'm sorry I ran before I found out anything more. I needed a quick break."

Saito-san clucked her tongue. "Christina-brand knives... of course. That's why he's here. You can't buy them at any other store," she revealed.

"You can't?" [Name] tilted her head back, flicking her gaze momentarily to Saito-san.

"My husband supervises Christina products. Honestly, they're terrible. The knives can hardly cut anything, and they're so cheaply made for their price; they'll break within just a few days—a few hours depending on what you try to cut with them. No other retailer will carry them due to such poor reviews. Of course, I feel obliged to sell them since he's my husband, but I never recommend them to any of my customers... I'm just waiting till Christina goes out of business."

[Name] blinked. She almost snorted.

What was she to say to that?! That explained a lot—well, aside from the reason why this vampire needed a Christina so badly. But the story gave [Name] a clear picture of Saito-san's relationship with her husband, and she started to chuckle. Then she couldn't stop. Before long she was giggling into her sleeve in a fruitless attempt to stifle herself.

"Laugh all you want, but you can't say a word to anybody, got it?" Saito-san grumbled. She wasn't so amused. "And get back to work. I want that thing out of my shop as soon as possible."

"Sorry..!" [Name] apologized, in a very unapologetic tone. But she still had a few laughs left in her. Saito-san huffed and wobbled off, going to assist a customer in need, and finally [Name] was stable enough to cool her chortles and pay attention to Azusa.

His position hadn't changed. He still stood there, still eerie, still staring, still murmuring. [Name] let out a gruff sigh of her own. But she supposed that maybe she could use Saito-san's story to her advantage, just a little, and try to convince the vampire boy that a Christina knife was actually terrible.

 _No..! I already told him it's one of the best knives out there_ , she remembered. She had to think of something else.

Maybe, if she had stood there thinking, she would have thought of something convincing to use. But [Name] had this unnerving feeling that Saito-san was keeping a stern eye on her from behind her back, and she felt pressured to spur into action. So she forced her legs forward, deciding she'll just go with the flow. Not the wisest of plans, but by the time she started to regret this decision she had already opened her mouth to greet the boy again.

"Hey, you're still deciding? I hate to b—"

But her voice dropped curtly when another overswept her own. It was a loud voice, raucous and grumpy, and [Name] froze in place as soon as she heard it. "Oi," it had gone, "the hell are you doing here?!"

And although [Name]'s first instinct was to spin around, as she wasn't sure if that unfamiliar voice was directed at her or not, the vampire boy moved first, and her eyes were glued to him. She wasn't expecting him to react. She wasn't expecting his eyes to light up! It was like he became normal all of a sudden.

"...Yuma..." the vampire boy murmured. This 'Yuma' guy strode past [Name] a second later, and she only caught a glimpse of him before he passed by—he was tall, so, so tall, with a sharp chin, and dirty brown hair tied back. "Why.. are you here...?"

"Why are you  _always_  here?" Yuma retorted. "Ruki didn't give a shit about this till you stopped responding. Didn't ya get any of our calls?"

Azusa's gaze fell. "...I'm.. sorry..." he said. "My phone... broke... when a police.. man... took me outside.. a few days.. ago, and hit me..."

" _What?!_ " Yuma's brows furrowed. "The fuck? You didn't say anything about that!"

"He said... bad things to me, but... it felt... good..." Azusa stammered. "I didn't... want it to... stop.."

[Name] eavesdropped silently, and she could not understand how she felt about this situation anymore. All that was in her mind was,  _What the even?_  She let the pair of vampires continue.

Yuma was furious, and he didn't even have to speak to let the whole store know he was. His skin was just radiating with rage. [Name] certainly did not want to interrupt someone like him—his mere height was intimidating as it was! As the pair spoke some more, she hid behind a display, poking her head out just a little. But Azusa's next words caught her completely off guard.

"Oh.. and..." Azusa said, seeming to remember something. He gently turned his gaze away from Yuma, and locked his dishwater blue eyes on [Name]. "She... was going to... hurt me too... but you... interrupted... us, Yuma..."

...

...

...

 _What?!_ [Name] almost shrieked. She totally was not! She was very against it! Against anyone getting harmed! But apparently that hadn't registered within Azusa, as he still had been anticipating the moment where [Name] would slice into his skin with Christina.

But moreover—now things appeared very different to Yuma. The  _big_ guy. [Name] must have seemed like the villain! ...Was he going to come after her?

"I wasn't, I swear!" she sputtered out. She had lost all of her composure—there was no 'new, awkward saleswoman' persona anymore; there wasn't even her natural 'attentive, but clumsy Hunter' self; she was completely shocked by how Azusa had (most likely unintentionally) pitted  _her_ as the bad guy.

And to make matters worse, something [Name] quickly realized...

Was that  _she_ was the one holding a knife, and  _she_ had been eavesdropping on Azusa, in a position that certainly did make her look suspicious.

"...Oh, this, this is his," she scrambled for an excuse, waving the knife in the air. She had no idea what else to say. What else to do? She had an array of anti-vampire weapons tucked away in her purse, but she was supposed to complete this mission without use of her Hunter equipment, unless worse came to worse.

...Though, she sensed it just might.

She felt her cheeks grow hot, very, very hot, as she had completely embarrassed herself—and she cursed her dad for sending her on this frustrating mission as her first-ever Hunter job. She had completely overlooked all Hunter protocol!  _Stay silent, observe, don't let them catch you off guard_.

And then, on top of this great jumble of things that had happened so quickly, her phone started blaring—her ringtone being a Kou Mukami song—and she knew it was Mariko, because Mariko had set it up so that Mukami played whenever she specifically called. [Name] couldn't spare a moment to breathe.

Why was everything happening all at once?!

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW THIS TOOK A WHILE
> 
> hay friends
> 
> I was really unmotivated to continue Bubblegum Heartbeat for a couple of months BUT when u sit and force urself to think about things for an hour u eventually come up with ideas which is what I did here and voila here's a new chapter yaya<3
> 
> got some cool new ideas for lateerrz
> 
> ALSO lil spoiler woops, there'll be some subaruxyui fyi!! I love yui to pieces so she'll be an important character maybe mwaha
> 
> ANYWAY I HOPE U ENJOYED<3 SEE YA NEXT TIME
> 
> -marzi♡


	5. Chapter 5

There were many options [Name] could have chosen.

She could have addressed Yuma and Azusa, to try and further convince them that she meant Azusa no harm.

She could have fled.

She could have whipped out her anti-vampire "pepper-spray" and temporarily blinded them both.

She could have dropped the knife and done nothing.

But, she chose to pull out her phone, and answer it. She justified this decision by remembering that she  _did_ put her phone on silent for this mission, so the fact that she heard her ringtone indicated that there must have been an emergency from Mariko's end.

And, now that she knew Kou was a vampire too, it wasn't hard to believe something might've gone wrong.

"Hello?" she called, maintaining eye contact with the taller vampire the entire time. She placed the knife on the display table nearest to her, while her little sister expelled a flurry of excitement into her poor ears.

"NEECHAAAAAAAN!!" Mariko screeched. " _You wouldn't believe it!!_  We decided to split up after lunch, and Kou invited me out to the ferris wheel, just the two of us!! He's in the bathroom right now, but Dad disappeared somewhere and I had no one else to talk to so I called you!! Can you believe it?!! Me and Kou, all alone at the top of the ferris wheel! It's like a dream come true~~!"

"Uh-huh," [Name] said, absently, in a tone that urged Mariko to go on. It wasn't that she wasn't  _interested_ , it was that being in the presence of a potentially angry vampire distracted her from being fully engaged in this conversation.

But really! What an stupid move to pull for a Vampire Hunter! Answering a  _phone call_  in the middle of a mission... Although, she supposed maybe it would be beneficial for her. Those two vampires would never expect a Hunter to answer a call during battle, so maybe this decreased their suspicions of her being dangerous to them? Hopefully?

"Anyway, Kou just came back!" Mariko continued. "Here I go! I'll send you pictures!! AHHH, I'm just so excited!! Okay, bye! Good luck with your mission! Wish me luck too!"

"Bye, Mariko," [Name] sighed. Then she clicked her phone off, and tucked it into her pocket, and looked back up at the two vampires.

They hadn't made a single move. Both of them were staring at her, Yuma's brows pulled in a bit, just subtly irritated now, and Azusa's face was wholly blank. [Name] didn't really know what to make of this situation, but she helped it as best she could.

"Sorry, that was  _so_ unprofessional of me," she told them, letting a light, embarrassed smile grace her lips. "My little sister just won that sweepstakes thing to meet Mukami and was gushing all over him. He's like the new teenage heartthrob or whatever. Idols and their fangirls these days, amirite? Haha."

[Name] couldn't even fully register what she was saying, but she knew it was a string of the cringiest words she had ever spoken in her life. She just wanted to get this over with already.

"Anyway, we got off on the wrong foot here. Let me clear this up. Um, I'm [Surname]," she outstretched a hand toward Yuma, "and I was just helping your, uh, boyfriend here find the perfect knife for your culinary collection."

"...Yuma... is my brother," Azusa informed her. The taller vampire's furrowed brows only deepened.

And [Name] felt her heart sink. He totally looked like the protective older brother type too—she should've known! (Although, granted, they looked nothing alike.)

"Oh, I'm sorry! I thought—"

"We're done here," Yuma cut in. He grabbed Azusa's hand, before dragging him toward the exit of the cutlery store. [Name]'s heart was still pounding when he passed her.

She thought she was going to get killed. She really did. What did her dad tell her? That she was good at  _talking?_  Well, it was clear that any and all of her socializing skills just completely flew out the window the second she was faced with this gigantic, fuming, practically man-eating protective older brother vampire. His vibes made him seem like he was from the mafia or something.

And just now she mistook them for lovers—were they insulted?? She didn't want to know. But Yuma did nothing but continue to take Azusa further and further away from her, and she looked after them with uncertainty plastered on her face.

"Will you be coming back?" she asked, more to Azusa than to his brother.

" _No_ ," Yuma boomed. "I'll be makin' sure of that."

"Wait, Yuma..." Azusa stammered, trying to get his brother to stop walking. He dug his fingers into Yuma's own hand, hoping to pry it off his wrist, but when that didn't work he turned back around to face [Name].

"Hey, [Surname]-san..." he started. [Name] immediately tensed up. Hearing her name fall from that vampire's lips gave her an odd feeling of foreboding—she thought to herself that maybe she should have used an alias. "... _Can_ I... come back?"

[Name] stumbled. "Well, you're welcome to as long as you need something... but this isn't the place to come and just stare at the knives, you know?" She hoped that got her point across. She really hoped. 

"...Okay," Azusa said. "I have... another reason... so... see you... later, [Surname]-san..."

[Name] watched until Yuma fully dragged Azusa out the door, before she took a moment to fully digest the younger brother's last words to her.

_I have another reason._

_See you later._

[Name]'s lashes swept upwards.  _She_ was the reason! She knew she must have been. And that did not make her feel any more relieved. ...Not like she was relieved anyway. She was very dismayed by how she had handled things today. Every word that had left her mouth was so inappropriate for the mission at hand, even if she was acting the whole time. And while she might have succeeded in getting rid of the vampire boy for today, somehow she had given him another reason to come back.

She desperately wished she could have been in Mariko's place more than ever now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLU IT'S BEEN A WHILE (again)
> 
> the weird thing about writing is that these past few days I'd been SO unmotivated like I literally thought "maybe I wasn't meant to be a writer... maybe I'm not cut out for it... maybe I should just quit..." bc I literally could not sit down and write anything.
> 
> this went on for like 3 days??? when I actually had time to write??? all of it gone to waste, u dang tired brain-----
> 
> BUT NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN 11PM SUNDAY NIGHT I GET THIS INTENSE URGE TO CONTINUE THIS AND HERE WE ARE!! new chapter for my lovies!! I hope you enjoyed!! sorry if it felt super rushed!! I tried man ><


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